It’s been a long time coming, months in the making, but today the Swans fanzine A Touch Far Vetched Online goes live and it’s available for you to read right NOW…for FREE!
After months of blood sweat and tears, writes and re-writes, false dawns and breakthroughs…we finally get to “press the button” today and make available the first edition of our new web-based online Swans fanzine.
And as Editor I couldn’t be more proud.
Many of the regular readers of the now extinct printed publication became my friends and everyone knows how much the whole A Touch Far Vetched entity means to; it’s defined me for more than a decade and it’s given me platforms for my (anything but professional) writing and my fundraising.
I was devastated when the printed publication folded – times and personnel had changed and it was the right decision to end it – but it’s always felt like unfinished business. I’ve long dreamt of bringing back a new, modern version…
…and today that vision has been realised.
Some technical stuff first, as I want to hand out some plaudits and explain the lengthy delays.
The original plan was too produce an eBook that you could download from this site and I proceeded along that route until an enforced change of designer led me to discuss the project with my friends at Accent Creative; I got sold on their vision of creating a unique platform behind the scenes, one that would produce for you a mini-website if you like for each issue.
A few tortuous months of development and heroic effort later and Gayle and Tudur at Accent have finalised the platform and created a comic book look and feel which reflects the ATFV brand.
Not only that, you can read your new Swans fanzine on any device and it will look spot on…but your new ATFV will be optimised for mobile phone reading.
From an editorial perspective this has been and will be an ongoing challenge for me. I now have to mould and shape the content with a mobile screen in mind rather than a computer monitor or indeed a sheet of A5 paper.
Hopefully you’ll already see the progress I personally have made on that front with the content in Vol.1 Issue 1 – and the whole package will get better and better as lessons are learnt.
So what’s in your first edition of A Touch Far Vetched Online?
Here are some of the highlights:-
- A Touch of Scouse – our new comic strip following the adventures of Trundle and Robbo (our replacement for the Ambassadors, Grrr)
- Cooper is the Man – ATFV gets behind the new man in the dugout
- Puppet on a String – debunking the theory that Trevor Birch is the Americans’ Yes Man
- Marts Main Men – Robbie James is the first to feature in Martin Jones’ regular column
- Tatey On the Pull – ummm…you’ll have to see that one for yourselves lol
I just want to make a point about some of the content, especially that submitted by contributors – in some cases it is a little “dated” but that is entirely MY fault and not theirs. Having gone through one full re-write it’s been a case of trying to complete the technical aspects and get a first version out there. Doing another full re-write would have led to another significant delay…I wanted a Swans fanzine, not bloody BREXIT!
Final point. There is, and will be some limited advertising in the new ATFV and I would ask you please to engage with it. This is for two very good reasons:-
- We need to monetise this fanzine, not only so that we can cover our own running costs and promotional activities but also so that we can make bigger donations to local charity
- By clicking the adverts you’ll be supporting local Swansea businesses…and who knows, you may even end up with a bargain or two 😉
Alright, promotional launch article over – now click THIS LINK and starting reading your new issue of ATFV Online
Mailing List subscribers get the new issue of ATFV Online delivered direct to their in-box upon publication, as well as receiving special offers and free prize draws. Sign up as a Mailing List subscriber HERE